8 months after a lift and areola reduction, my scars look like this. Can anything be done to improve the appearance? (Photo)

Dear tbella76,
I understand your concern. However, without a proper assessment it would be difficult to determine what is wrong. For scars, I close all of my incisions in 5 layers and do not use absorbable sutures because they cause inflammation and worse scarring. I tape all of my incisions in the office visits once a week for six weeks after surgery to improve the appearance. After taping, I start my patients on a scar gel therapy for 3 months that they have to put on their incisions twice daily. It is best that you visit your plastic surgeon for further assessment. Only after thorough examination you can get proper recommendations and advice.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question and the photo. I am sorry to see you are dealing with this concern. Some spreading of periareolar scars is common following a breast lift as the skin in this area is quite delicate and is put under a lot of tension after a breast lift surgery. However, I do agree that your scarring is significant, and it is unfortunate that your scars remain painful. You may be a good candidate for a revision surgery or a scar revision surgery once you have completely healed.
You may also be a candidate for more noninvasive scar therapies. Our office offers a multitude of scar treatments including silicone products, BBL, microneedling and laser. We tailor each treatment according to scar appearance and other factors such as skin tone. Scars can take quite some time (even up to two years) to completely settle into their healed appearance. I would suggest waiting a few more months (until about a year post-op) before pursuing another surgical procedure. However, I would also suggest meeting with your surgeon or with another board-certified plastic surgeon in the meantime to ensure that the pain you are experiencing is not a complication, and to come up with a concrete plan to improve the appearance of your results should they not improve on their own. Best of luck

Plastic surgery scars require attention after surgery so that they remain cosmetically-appealing and barely noticeable. In our office, we use a protocol for scars that minimizes their activity in the 6-8 weeks after surgery. If you have late plastic surgery scars, you may also require laser and RF therapy to help reduce the longterm effects of the scarring. Keloids, hypertrophic scars, widened scars, red scars, and hyperpigmented scars all require scar modulation with topical creams followed by lasers and RF therapy. Topical skincare should be directed to a specific need, whether for pigmentation or hypertrophy and our office can guide you through the process to obtain the correct Plato’s Scar cream or Melarase cream for hypertrophy and discoloration. In terms of lasers, we would employ the vbeam laser for redness, Venus Viva RF, PRP microneedling, chemical peels, and Morpheus 8, fractional erbium, or fractional co2. All of these have their individual benefits. Most of all, we recommend you visit a solid plastic surgeon who understands surgical scar revision, laser therapy, and RF therapy for scars.

Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Hello, Circumareolar (donut/Benelli) lifts and circumvertical lifts put too much tension around the peri-areolar incision, leading to wide scaring. This is typically excentuated by not using post surgical tape for 3-6 months to support incisions. You will need a revision list , converting to an anchor scar, my preferred lift. Go visit a few ABPS certified/ASAPS member surgeons who specialize in revision breast surgery. 

Thank you for your question.  I would recommend waiting until a year has passed and then talking to your surgeon about options to improve the scar.  All the best, 

Dear tbella76, Thank you for your question. I tell all of my patients that the final results of this operation cannot be judged until you are 12 months out from surgery. It is important that you are patient with your results. If at this time you are still having concerns, I suggest following up with your Board Certified Operating Surgeon. Best of luck to you!

You are healing with more noticeable scars. Go back to your surgeon and ask for micro-needling to help minimize the scars.

Hi -
In general I like to think of scar revision after 12 months have passed. White lines for a scar are actually something a lot of patients wish they had.   If any of the scar is  dark or tethered that might be one to think about adjusting.  It is always good to touch base with your plastic surgeon to review how your healing is progressing.
All the best,
-Dr. Bekanich

The scars around the areola are actually quite fine, and are white in colour as this is the appearance of all maturing scars. I suspect that there is still some time for improvement as scars take up to one year to mature fully. Scar revision will only give you back red scars which will become white again so I would avoid seeking surgery.I would  see your PS for advice and reassurance on the scarring as there are treatments he might be able to offer such as silicone gel.